So bravo! None of you fell for this April Fools. That means you're free to enjoy the following short script on its own merits.
What's it a short script of? Well, dear reader, that would be telling. Half the fun is in the discovery. Given the way nostalgia reigns these days, I'm probably sacrificing some page hits by not plastering what the gag is, so I'll say that to an extent, this is my commentary on how certain reboots - like the upcoming TERMINATOR film - are being handled. (Actually, it might not be a bad idea to check out the TERMINATOR GENISYS trailer here.) More than a lot of my other posts, I'm very curious to see you guys react in the comments.
I've embedded scans of the script pages below. You can also download the Mystery Reboot Script in PDF form here. (it's less than six pages!)
I dug it, though having never seen [redacted] I didn't really catch the references. One thing stuck out me though. I loved the main dude's soapy reflection here:
ReplyDeleteMy father once told me “Don’t ever
get old.” I wasn't sure whether he
meant me, or him. I guess we both
knew it didn't really matter. We
didn't have a choice. Growing up is
never easy.
It was perfectly cliche. But it was so over the top I couldn't beleive there was no in-joke reply, that the wife took it straight. Something like "Dammit, when will you stop talking like an old soap opera?! No wonder you can't connect with your son - you're living years in the past!" Something to nod to the audience just how silly that bit is. I like how everything is played straight but that is just too absurd for a character to respond normally too.
I was waiting for someone to comment just so this wouldn't be the first one. That line - as well as the vast majority of the character's lines - are repurposed from throughout the original series.
DeleteI considered having the wife react, but it was early enough in the script I didn't want to get TOO self-aware. Glad you got a kick out of it.
But is the Wife's reply also from the original series? Otherwise, something else needs to happen. Maybe people used to talk like that, but I think in a modern series, that would need to be updated - the same sense, but less hackey - or else it needs to be responded to as absurd as it is. That's what the reboots often do, therefore having their cake and eating it too. But the point is the reboots are modernized - they rarely just drop in an old reference or bit of dialogue and don't have someone reply to it in a new fashion.
DeleteAlso I think you can keep the references oblique enough so it's not too self-aware. My line is a bit heavy handed for sure, but Wonder and Years are in separate phrases so that at least isn't obvious.
I don't know. She could be making exactly the same point but I think she needs to be explictly rebuking this weird affectation for the past, including its affectations of language (which of course works doubly as a meta-parody, precisely as the whole script is!)
Aren't you glad you're getting such detailed feedback on this passion project?!? It's really...WONDERful.